Update: The House passed the resolution on April 10.
Congress is undertaking reconciliation as part of its fiscal year (FY) 2025 budget process. Last month, FFIS published Budget Brief 25-03 to highlight differences between House- and Senate-passed budget resolutions, which varied greatly in scope. To move forward, each chamber has to adopt an identical concurrent budget resolution.
Last week, the Senate passed a revised concurrent budget resolution that it hopes will win approval in the House. It adopts the House’s all-in-one approach, using reconciliation to pass tax cuts; increase defense, immigration, and border spending; increase revenues from oil and gas operations; and raise the debt limit. However, in contrast to usual practice, it provides different directives for the House and Senate. In so doing, it essentially bypasses a procedural hurdle, kicking that can down the road until House and Senate negotiators agree on a single, final plan.